


Five Shots

by butterfly_wings



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Guns, M/M, also it's like. semi-established polyamory, instead it's about alternate realities!, it's not the focus of the story tho, its based off of a dreamcatcher mv, like a lot of them, listen its got rin being badass and also angst, no one dies but people do get shot, of a sort? idk how to describe it, simulations, what more could u possibly want
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:21:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25460848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterfly_wings/pseuds/butterfly_wings
Summary: Whatever is waiting for him is at the top of the stairs.Rin tosses the gun once, feeling the weight of it in his hands. Five shots. He wonders if it’ll be enough.or, the one where Rin has nothing but a gun with five shots and there's a really, really weird building that he's traveling through. He doesn't know what he's doing; he's just relying on his gut for the answers. Hopefully everything will make sense by the end.
Relationships: Hazuki Nagisa/Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka/Ryuugazaki Rei/Tachibana Makoto
Kudos: 4





	Five Shots

**Author's Note:**

> *strolls into the free! fandom like seven years late with a mocha* hey i got angsty rin/rei/makoto/haru/nagisa for y'all 
> 
> this is based off of Dreamcatcher's R. o. S. E. BLUE MV, which can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lja79dlQiZI).

Pink cherry blossoms float on the surface of the water, gently tangling themselves in Rin’s hair and sticking to his wet face. Around him, he can hear Rei and Nagisa’s laughter, followed by loud splashes and an outraged sounding cry from Makoto. The familiar click of a camera tells him that Gou’s busy taking photos as usual, determined to get as many fun shots as she can.

He floats on his back and remains content to look at the sky, eyes wide open as he searches for clouds. So far, he hasn’t spotted one. 

Floating on his back isn’t something he does very often–really, that’s more of Makoto’s thing–but there’s something so peaceful about being here with his four maybe-boyfriends and his sister. Haru, of course, is swimming: Rin can hear the splashes he makes, different from the crashes and shrieking laughter that Nagisa, Makoto, and Rei are making.

The sun is bright overhead, but Rin doesn’t mind. He lets the water carry him wherever it pleases, and keeps his eyes focused on the broad expanse of blue overhead. Distantly, he hears Nagisa saying something about getting Rin, but the comment doesn’t register in his brain as he studies the sky and the bright white sun.

He raises one hand, slowly, to shield his eyes from the harsh light of the sun, knowing that he shouldn’t look directly at the sun. Even if he has been looking at the sun for the past few minutes, he should stop. It’s bad for his vision. 

His fingers block out the light, but there’s no telltale splotches of light in his vision. Instead, he gazes at the back of his hand, a stray cherry blossom petal stuck on his skin. His vision remains unaffected from staring at the sun.

This isn’t right, he thinks, but then he feels someone’s hand push on his shoulder, and water crowds his vision as he sputters for air.

There’s a tall building in front of him, a red-grey sky overhead, and a gun in his hand. Rin looks down at the gun, turning the cold black metal in his hands. It has a small counter on it that reads, “five”.

Five. Rin raises it, rests his fingers on the trigger. It would be so easy to pull, but he’s only got five shots. He can’t afford to waste them on useless things.

A sigh escapes him as he slides the gun into the holster on his hip, then wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans. First order of business: get into that building.

He flips up the hood of his black jacket, then breaks into a sprint towards the building. No one stops him, which both pleases and terrifies him. 

He only has five shots. He cannot afford to waste them. But if no one is stopping him, then perhaps he’s already doomed to fail.

Rin shakes his head. He cannot think of that right now. His mission is to get into that building in front of him, and if no one is stopping him, well, that makes it all the easier. He races right up to the door and pulls it open.

The door isn’t even locked. It swings open silently. 

That’s definitely not good. Whatever is waiting for him at the top of the building clearly was anticipating him. Rin nervously pats down his jacket and pants, curious if there’s anything helpful in his pockets.

He comes up empty. It’s official, then: the only thing he’s got is the gun with five shots and the clothes on his back. A scowl crosses his face and he exhales sharply, the air blowing up a few strands of his hair.

Fine. Fine. It’s just him and five shots against…this, whatever it may be.

“I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a loser,” he declares, and so he strides into the building.

Inside, there’s no trace of life. Rin looks around the room, but all he sees are impossibly tall grey walls and a smooth black marble floor. There’s not even any furniture. The most exciting thing is an iron spiral staircase that stretches up, up, up.

He cranes his head, hoping to see the end of the staircase, but the stairs disappear into the shadowy expanse of the ceiling. If he wants to find out what’s in this building, he has no choice but to go up.

That’s how it was always supposed to be, wasn’t it? He removes the gun from the holster, just for easier access, then walks across the room to the stairs. The railing is cool under his touch, and he looks up. Still no sign of anything, so he takes in a deep breath, and starts to climb.

Nothing seems intent on stopping him from his upward trek. Rin keeps his ears and eyes open, but there’s no sound save his own footsteps and light breathing. He can’t see anything that looks ready to kill him either, so he’s been left alone with his thoughts and his fears as he makes his way up the stairs. To his relief, the stairs don’t actually get darker the further up he goes, but rather remain in the same grey half-light that filled the building when he first entered. At least he doesn’t have to worry about decreased visibility.

If nothing’s stopping him from reaching the top, then that means he’ll most likely need to use the gun at the top. As he continues his ascent, he wonders what could possibly be up there. He hasn’t seen any sign of life; not even when he was outside of the building. To the best of his knowledge, he’s alone.

How odd. He bites his lip. Everything about this situation is odd. There’s been no signs of life, yet he knows for a fact that he has a sister, as well as his…boyfriends? He’s hesitant to use the word, but friends doesn’t feel quite right to describe the strange thing between him, Haru, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei. Whatever is going on between the five of them, however, is going to have to wait. Rin is here to do…something, although he doesn’t know what that something is yet, and then he’ll probably have a better understanding of this world that he’s been dropped into with nothing but a gun that will fire five shots.

He leans over the railing to give his legs a break, and to get a better feel for how high he is. He’s certainly climbed up a lot, as the floor looks far, far, far away from where he is and he instinctively knows that if he were to fall, he would not survive.

He doesn’t let himself dwell on that, choosing instead to tilt his head up and get a better look at the darkness above. From this vantage point, he understands that it’s actually a floor of some kind, and the staircase appears to end at that point.

Whatever is waiting for him is at the top of the stairs.

Rin tosses the gun once, feeling the weight of it in his hands. Five shots. He wonders if it’ll be enough.

No time to be worrying, though. He has a mission, and he doesn’t intend on failing. Everything about this situation strikes him as odd, but his gut tells him that he has to get to the top of the stairs, and so that is what he will do.

A loud groan spills from his lips as he pushes off the railing and forces himself to keep moving. His legs are starting to ache from constantly carrying him up. But he has to keep moving. Something tells him that he doesn’t have the time to waste.

If there’s one thing Rin’s good at, it’s following his emotions. And everything in him is urging him forwards, telling him that he has to keep moving forwards. He cannot afford to wait.

Finally, his legs aching from having climbed all those steps, he sees the top. He practically collapses with relief onto the cool wood floor at the top of the steps and gives himself five minutes to rest.

There’s no furniture in this room either, just a dark wood floor and more grey walls. However, there is a tall set of iron double doors. Rin looks at his gun.

It looks back at him, the counter shining ominously. Five shots.

That door has the answers. Whatever he’s here for lies behind those doors.

Rin rises to his feet. There’s no time for him to be resting.

He charges forward and throws open the doors, a yell half-formed on his lips as he rushes in.

Purple light envelopes him, and Rin blinks from the sudden wash of light that floods over him. Nothing comes out to attack him. Rin stops in his tracks and stares.

Unlike the rest of the building, this room has white walls, colored purple from the glow of the giant crystal in the center of the room. Around the room are five chairs, each containing one sleeping person.

A gasp escapes him. Haru is on his right and Makoto is on his left. He circles the crystal, and yes, there’s Nagisa and Rei, each one with their eyes closed and heads drooped in sleep. And in the last chair, he spots Gou, her long red hair covering her face.

Five shots. Five chairs.

Five people.

Rin doesn’t hesitate. He presses his palm to the crystal.

The sky is awash in golds and pinks, and Rin looks around the park he finds himself in. It’s a typical park: he sees an empty play structure, complete with two slides and a set of monkey bars. Nagisa’s laughter fills his ears, and Rin looks to his left to see a swing set. He watches as his friend kicks his legs higher and higher, soaring into the sky before coming back down.

“Rinrin!” Nagisa calls, a bright smile plastered on his face. “Come swing with me! Or are you too old to do that now?”

“Nagisa,” Rin breathes out. “You’re…swinging?”

“Yup!” Of course, Nagisa chooses then to hop off of the swing, and he soars in the air for a moment, suspended within the gorgeous pinks and yellows of the sunset, before he lands. He practically bounces over to Rin, still grinning. “What’s up?”

Rin looks down at Nagisa, who’s smiling so brilliantly at him. Nagisa, who never once wavered in his unending optimism and his belief in Rin’s love for him. Nagisa, who always spreads cheer wherever he goes, who never once doubted them, who may act like a child but who knows more than he lets on.

“I wanted to see you,” Rin tells him. The gun is heavy against his hip. It feels like a burning weight against his leg.

Nagisa tilts his head, his eyes studying Rin’s face. “You’re thinking too much, Rin,” he says after a moment, brow creasing with worry. “What’s up? Tell me your woes.”

“I…” Rin has no idea where to start. How can he possibly begin to unravel this? “It’s…nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Nagisa replies, frowning at him. “You look troubled.”

The gun burns.

“Come on, Rin,” Nagisa cajoles him. “I won’t judge.”

Rin touches the gun’s holster and tries to say something. Nothing comes out.

“Ri-in,” Nagisa says, a whiny edge settling into his voice. “Do I need to get the others?”

Suddenly, he knows what to do.

“Nagisa,” Rin says, finding his voice. He reaches out and grabs Nagisa’s hand. “Nagisa, I. I love you. You know that, right?”

Nagisa smiles at that. “Of course I know that, Rin,” he replies. “And I love you too. But what brought this on? Did something happen?”

Rin feels his breath come easier after Nagisa’s reply. Yes. Nagisa loves him. Everything’s going to be okay.

“Come on,” Nagisa presses, squeezing Rin’s hand. “You’re freaking out. Let’s go sit down, okay?”

“I love you,” Rin repeats.

Five shots.

He lifts the gun and presses it to Nagisa’s temple, doing his best to ignore the way Nagisa’s eyes widen.

The sun is hot overhead, and the sand is warm beneath his feet. There’s no wind, no respite from the shining sun and endless stretch of golden sand. Rin lifts his gaze and looks around. The gun is still cool in his hand, despite the oppressive heat surrounding him.

In the distance, he can see a figure walking, leading a camel as they make their way across the sand. Rin doesn’t hesitate to run towards them.

“Hey,” he says, and the person turns, bright blue eyes peering up at him from under a white scarf.

“Rin,” Haru breathes out. “What…how did you get here?”

“I should be asking you that,” Rin replies. “We’re in a desert, Haru. There’s no water.” He looks around, taking in the golden sands that stretch forever, and wonders how Haru could have ended up here. It’s the worst possible place for him.

“I know.” Haru’s blue gaze pierces into Rin, daring him, challenging him. “I know. I want to go swimming.”

“Of course you do,” Rin says, running a hand through his hair. “But what are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“I don’t know,” Haru replies. “I’m looking for water.” He gestures to his camel. “We both need it, to live.”

“So you’re just…searching…for water?” Rin asks.

“It has to be me,” Haru says. “Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa are also out of water, but they do not have the freedom to travel like I do.”

That explains absolutely nothing, at least to Rin, but Haru nods as if he’s explained the mysteries of the universe. Rin sighs.

“You know where the water is, though,” Haru says suddenly, leaning in close to Rin. “Where is it?”

“What–how–” Rin lifts his hands, then stops.

The gun is in his hand. It’s a familiar yet heavy weight in his palm.

“Yeah,” he says, looking at the gun, not meeting Haru’s gaze. “Water. I can help you with that.”

Haru steps back, the sight of the gun obviously concerning him. His eyes are wide, but there’s a curious lack of fear in them as he takes in Rin once more, that blue gaze tearing him apart.

Rin doesn’t move as Haru studies him. Silence settles over them, and Rin waits for Haru to say something, anything.

“Are you going to use that?” Haru asks finally, nodding at the gun in Rin’s hand.

“I don’t know,” Rin says.

“Liar.” Haru’s eyes narrow. “You’re going to shoot me.”

“I love you,” Rin blurts out.

Haru smiles then. “I know,” he says. “That’s why I’m letting you.” He nods at the gun, before lifting his chin, a clear challenge in those blue, blue eyes of his. “Shoot me, Rin.”

Gou is sitting on the floor of her bedroom, photos scattered all around her as she tucks her face into her knees and cries. Wretched, choked sobs are torn out her throat and Rin cannot move as he stands in her bedroom door, watching as his little sister cries and cries, surrounded by memories of him and his friends.

They’re her friends too, he realizes. Nagisa and Rei are both the same age as Gou; Haru, Makoto, and him are only a year older. While he might have been getting closer and closer to dating them, Gou was busy being their friend and confidante, as if she had four more brothers to take care of.

“Gou,” he whispers, and he hates how his voice cracks as he says her name. She doesn’t move, just keeps sobbing into her knees.

“Gou,” he repeats, voice louder this time, more stable. “Gou.”

“R-rin?” she asks, her voice shaky from crying. She lifts her head, and her eyes are red, her cheeks stained with tears.

“Why are you crying?” he asks, finally moving from his spot in the door. He grabs a blanket off of her bed and wraps it around her shoulders. “What happened?”

“They’re all gone,” she cries, fingers grabbing at the blanket as if it can protect her from the horrors of the world. “Everyone, even you.” She glares at him, but the effect is ruined by the tears filling her eyes. “You’re n-not even real.”

“Gou,” he says softly, but she shakes her head furiously, long red hair floating all around her.

“You’re gone, Rin!” she shouts, rubbing the back of her hand on her eyes. “You’re not real!”

“Gone?” he asks. “Gou, what happened?”

“You and your boyfriends had to go and get yourselves k-killed,” Gou snaps, but there’s no venom in her voice as she starts crying again. “And I just…I’ve taken so many photos…and I’ll never get to do it again,” she finishes, her voice softening to a whisper. “Because you’re gone. All of you.” She reaches out to touch a shot of the five of them. In it, Rin holds Rei in a headlock, Rei’s red glasses slightly askew, while Nagisa is reaching for Rin. However, Makoto has a tight grip on the back of Nagisa’s shirt, however, preventing him from actually attacking Rin. Makoto’s eyes are crinkled in laughter, his head thrown back. Haru is looking at all of them, and there’s that small something in his eyes that makes Rin want to cry too.

A tear splashes next to Gou’s fingertips, and she hastily wipes it off of the photo.

“It hurts,” Gou whispers, dropping her face into her knees once more and wrapping the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “I wish it wasn’t real.”

“Gou,” Rin says softly, drawing his gun. “I can free you from this hell.”

Gou looks up at him. “Really?” she asks.

“Yes,” Rin tells her, and he points it at her.

The sky is red once more, but this is a gentle, orange-red glow that comes with the sunrise. The air is cool on his skin. Rin frowns as he looks around, taking in the absolute dump that surrounds him. Broken furniture and heaps of plastic, crumpled papers and empty appliances litter the landscape. 

Where is he?

“Rin?” Makoto asks, and Rin jolts before slowly turning around.

Sure enough, Makoto is sitting in the only non-ruined thing: a tall, plush armchair that looks like it was made for Makoto. Makoto has a gentle smile on his face, and those green eyes of his are filled with so much understanding and love that Rin nearly collapses from the sheer volume of it.

“What are you doing, Rin?” Makoto asks, still smiling, still looking at him like he’s something precious. “How did you get here?”

“I–” His voice is scratchy, and Rin clears his throat before trying again. “I don’t know. What are you doing here?”

Makoto tilts his head. “Waiting, I suppose,” he says.

“For what?” Rin asks.

The corners of Makoto’s smile lift. “For you, I think,” he answers, and there’s so much warmth in his voice, as if he hadn’t just blown Rin’s world into pieces.

“For me?” Rin asks.

“Who else?” Makoto asks.

“But…Haru…” Rin looks around. “What about Haru? Or Rei and Nagisa?”

Makoto’s smile slips. “I think I’m waiting for all of you. You just happened to get here first.”

“Makoto…” He hates the way his voice breaks over Makoto’s name.

“Don’t cry, Rin,” Makoto says, and he reaches out his hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

This must be what Haru sees every time he gets out of the pool, Rin realizes suddenly. Makoto’s gentle smile and eyes full of love and his hand outstretched in an unspoken promise to always be there.

Makoto is too good. Always has been, always will be.

“Please don’t cry,” Makoto says, and he starts to stand.

“Don’t,” Rin hisses, whipping out his gun and pointing it at Makoto. He hates that there’s tears gathering in his eyes. “Stay back.”

“Rin,” Makoto says, but there’s no fear in his voice. Rin blinks back the tears and takes Makoto in.

Makoto looks at him with those gentle green eyes and that kind smile on his face and there’s absolutely no hint of fear on his face. His hand is still outstretched, even though he’s sitting back down. But he’s offering his hand, and it would be so, so easy to take it.

“Look at me,” Makoto says, as if he’s talking to a child, and Rin supposes he is. Makoto has always been the responsible one, the caretaker, the one who knew how to comfort and how to soothe, the one who everyone looked to for guidance and wisdom. Rin has a gun pointed at him and all he can feel is small and worthless in the face of Makoto’s love.

“I love you, Rin,” Makoto continues. “Whatever this is, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

“I love you,” Rin repeats, and he stares at Makoto’s hand, still outstretched, so steady in spite of the fact that Rin has a fucking gun pointed at him.

Makoto is too good for him. Always has been, always will be.

“Rin,” Makoto says. “I love you. We all do.”

The wind blows, sending a lock of his red hair cutting through his vision and blocking out Makoto.

But he can still see the counter on the gun.

Five shots.

Tears start to blur his vision again.

Makoto says, “Oh, Rin. Please don’t cry.” 

Rin wastes no time pointing the gun at Rei. It’s remarkably easy to, given that Rei is right in front of him, kneeling on the floor.

“Don’t you dare,” Rei hisses, glaring up at him. “You put that gun down, or so help me, Rin, I swear that I’ll–”

“You’ll what?” Rin demands. “You can’t do anything.” He gestures at Rei with his free hand. “You’re in chains.”

Rei scowls. It’s true: his hands are suspended on either side of him, long iron chains lifting his wrists and preventing him from moving. Thick bands strap his ankles down and force him to kneel on the hard ground. He twists once, lunging forward to reach Rin, but the chains pulls him back, and his body swings as he glares balefully up at Rin.

Even like this, Rei looks beautiful, violet eyes narrowed in anger and defiance, a prideful jut to his chin and a determined set to his brow. Rei can’t do anything, so Rin has no qualms about just…letting himself look at Rei for as long as he wants.

It could be the last time he gets to see such a sight.

“Don’t do it,” Rei snaps, drawing Rin back to reality. He leans forward, his chains rattling wildly as he strains to get close enough to knock the gun from Rin’s hand. It’s futile, of course, but Rin has to give him props for trying. “Don’t even think about it.”

“You look beautiful.” The words slip out, and oddly, they’re enough to make Rei stop struggling against the chains and for the harsh glare on his face to soften into something akin to wonder.

“…I’m in chains,” Rei says flatly, but there’s something odd in his voice that Rin is unable to place. “There’s nothing beautiful about my situation.”

“Rei,” Rin says, watching how Rei’s eyes widen behind his glasses. “You’re always beautiful.”

Rei blushes, his cheeks flushing pink as he looks away from Rin. “Stop that,” he hisses, and Rin can’t help the smile that crosses his face.

It’s quiet, almost peaceful, and Rin thinks that he can be okay with this moment ending here, before Rei remembers that he’s supposed to be trying to stop Rin.

Of course, Rei realizes that at the exact same time, as his head snaps up, the glare back on his face.

“You can’t, Rin,” Rei declares, straining against the chains. He practically throws his body forward, even though it doesn’t go anywhere. “Haru and Makoto and Nagisa need you; Haru needs you; they love you; you can’t just–”

“They need you too!” Rin shouts, hand shaking. “You’re not disposable!”

“Neither are you!” Rei shouts back, a loud clang of iron punctuating his statement. “You matter to them!”

“So do you!” Rin fires back. “You’re important to them!”

“They need you, Rin!” Rei cries.

“And you don’t?” Rin demands. “They’re your boyfriends too!”

“What about Gou?!” Rei retorts. “She needs you too!”

Rin gasps. “Shut up!”

“Don’t you dare!” Rei shouts. “Rin, put that thing down!”

Rin squeezes his eyes shut as his finger finds the trigger. 

Rin surfaces for air, shaking water from his wet hair and wiping off his eyes.

“Hey,” he snaps, shooting Nagisa a glare. “Don’t just shove me underwater like that!”

Nagisa laughs. “Well, Rei and Makoto and I agreed that you needed to get splashed too!” He sticks out his tongue, the picture of mischief.

“What about Haru?” Rin demands. “I don’t see you trying to drown him.”

“Makoto got me while Rei and Nagisa got you,” Haru says, swimming closer to him. His dark hair sticks to his face, and his eyes are full of subtle mirth. Bastard. He’s enjoying this.

Gou’s laughter fills the air, and she’s running to the side of the pool. “I got photos,” she chirps. “Look!”

Nagisa and Rei are swimming over immediately as Gou yelps and lifts the camera further out of the water. Haru swims past, also curious about the photos.

Rin takes in a shaky breath and lets the scent of chlorine and cherry blossoms fill his nose.

Makoto crowds into his vision, his green eyes soft with concern.

“Rin?” he asks. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Rin forces himself to say. “Yeah.”

“You want to go see those photos Gou got?” Makoto asks. He holds out his hand. “I won’t let Nagisa try to drown you again.”

A smile plays on Rin’s lips as he reaches out. “Okay,” he says, and he grabs Makoto’s hand.

For one moment, Makoto’s skin is soft and warm under Rin’s palm, and then Makoto is unraveling into a thousand glowing butterflies. Rin cries out as Haru, Rei, Nagisa, and Gou also transform into the butterflies, their bodies shattering into light and taking flight. Rin watches as the giant cloud of butterflies takes off into the sky, their wings carrying them farther and farther out of reach before they vanish.

He’s left alone in a cherry blossom-filled pool.

Rin swims to the edge of the pool and hauls himself out. His body shivers slightly, but the heat will dry off his wet skin. He looks around, searching for a sign that he’s not alone. But even Gou’s camera is gone. There’s no trace of his sister or his friends.

The only thing he sees a very familiar looking gun on his left. It lies innocuously on the concrete, sun glinting off the shiny metal.

Slowly, he picks it up and presses it to his temple. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

His finger curls around the trigger and pulls.

Five shots.

“Rin?” Nagisa asks. “What are–”

Four shots.

“Do it,” Haru says. “You won’t.”

Three shots.

“You promise?” Gou asks. “It’ll be over?”

Two shots.

“I trust you,” Makoto says.

One shot.

“Rin, don’t!” Rei shouts.

Zero shots.

Rin slowly lowers the gun from his head. He looks at the counter.

Zero, it reads.

Even though the tears are already gathering in his eyes, he doesn’t regret it. Not a single shot was wasted, he thinks, putting the gun back on the concrete next to him.

He wouldn’t have done anything different.

Makoto wakes up with a start. Purple light floods his vision, and it takes him a few moments to get adjusted to light. He shifts in the chair, frowning, struggling to understand what he’s seeing.

To his right, he hears Haru’s soft gasp. Rei lets out a strangled choking noise. To his left, Nagisa scooches forward, the chair’s legs scraping against the floor. Makoto pays them no mind, just staring at the giant crystal in front of him, as he tries to understand. He reaches out, already knowing that it won’t do anything.

It doesn’t make sense.

“Rin…” Gou whispers, sounding on the verge of tears.

Makoto’s hand drops into his lap, useless and empty. He stares at Rin, who floats within the crystal, his eyes closed and a slight smile on his face, as if he’s having a most lovely dream.

**Author's Note:**

> ...i regret nothing *slurps mocha* 
> 
> no, actually i regret a lot. sorry for hurting rin and gou so much :( but i felt really inspired by the mv (which, by the way, is also the OST for a game called Girl Cafe Gun, but that's neither here nor there) so here we are!! angsty free! fic. 
> 
> also, sorry about the semi-established polyamory; i feel like the iwatobis (except Rei) are pretty convinced that all five of them are dating BUT Rin isn't 100% sure how he fits in (and also Rei is a lil unsure himself. The way I see it, I think both Rin and Rei feel like it would be the other four without them...rei and rin are remarkably similar deep down, i think). at any rate, Gou seems pretty convinced that the five of them were dating. 
> 
> all right, enough from me~ thanks for reading! hope it was enjoyable


End file.
